"There's just smoke pouring up the hallway and I then could hear crackling and I could just literally feel the heat and stuff," said Colussy.

Colussy told Mayo that he got his fiancée and stepdaughter, who has a broken ankle, out through a window as the flames were spreading. He and his stepson were then trapped on the roof of a rear sunroom.

"Got the kids and my fiancée out of the house, and I literally had to break my way out of the house to try to get out. We were stuck on the roof until the firemen came," said Colussy.

Penn Hills Assistant Fire Chief Joe McMeekin said their first priority was making a rescue, then taking care of the flames.

"Get one crew on the fire, one crew rescuing the people. Start with your rescue first, then worry about the fire afterwards," McMeekin said.

Colussy told Mayo that he called 911 right away at 4:45 a.m., and that neighbors did as well, but he said it took a long time for firefighters to arrive.

"(To) be on the roof like that (for) 40 minutes, being covered in smoke like that. I'm all screwed up right now. It felt like years," he said.

According to records released by Allegheny County Emergency Services at the request of Channel 4, the first 911 call was placed at 5:24 a.m., police arrived at the home at 5:27 a.m. and the first fire units were there at 5:38 a.m. The county said there didn't appear to be any problems with the fire call.

No serious injuries were reported, but the family lost three cats, a turtles and a frog. The American Red Cross was assisting the family on Tuesday.